Express Middle East Tour

Day 1

Arrival at the Ben Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv – Meet and assist by our driver
.and transfer to your hotel in Nazareth or Tiberius for overnight

Day 2

We start the day in Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle by
turning water into wine at a wedding, and continue to Nazareth, where we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Greek-Orthodox St. Raphael church near Mary’s Well. We drive to the Sea of Galilee. At the “Mt. of Beatitudes” we can enjoy the special church built by the Italian architect Berluzzi, as well as the wide view over the Sea of Galilee. We also visit the archaeological excavations of Capernaum, “The Town of Jesus”, including its well-known Synagogue, and the Church of the Fish & Bread in Tabgha, Overnight in Tiberius / Nazareth

Day 3

Cross to Jordan at Sheikh Hussein (Jordan River) border terminal – We will start our visit to Jordan in Jerash, the “Pompei of the East”. You will enter Jerash through the monumental South Gate and find yourself wandering around in a Roman city. You will walk in the Oval Plaza surrounded by colonnades, visit the Roman theatre and Byzantine churches with mosaic-covered floors. Enjoy a stroll along Jerash’ main road, the Cardo, and pass by the Nymphaeum. Jerash has been covered by sand for centuries, the main reason why it is still so well-preserved. You may experience the marvelous acoustics of the theatre, the stage of the Jerash music festival, which takes place every year, and see for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the colonnaded streets. We continue across Jordan, southwards bound, to Mount Nebo, where, like Moses, you will be able to overlook the Holy Land and the Dead Sea. If the sky is clear, Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethlehem will meet your eye. Overnight in Petra.

Day 4

This day is dedicated to Jordan’s most famous highlight: Petra! The mysterious “Rose Red City”, capital of the Nabatheans, the lost city carved in the colorful sandstone of the E-Shara mountains, has always been one of the miracles of the Orient. We start our visit riding on a horse to the siq (gorge), a natural crack in the rocks which the Nabatheans made into a secret, ceremonial entrance to the lost city. We walk through the 1.2 Km long natural gorge, amidst a variety of statues and praying niches carved by the Nabatheans, until, suddenly, we face the grand “Treasury” – a huge burial-monument, carved all out of the rock 2000 years ago… The “Hazane” (Treasury) is just the first of many rock-carved burial monuments, that gave this canyon its name: “The Facades Street”. This street leads us to the roman theatre, royal tombs, the roman colonnaded street, and Qasr al-bent, a well-preserved Nabathean temple. After a lunch break we walk back to our car, and drive to the Arava border, where we cross to Israel. We take a short panoramic city-tour of Eilat, the famous Israeli resort city by the Red Sea, before we cross into Egypt at Taba, and continue to your hotel in Sinai.

Day 5

n the morning we visit the famous St. Catherine’s Monastery, including the Church, dated back to the 6th Century and never destroyed since then, “The Burning Bush”, and “Jetro’s Well”. Upon request, you can climb Mt. Moses, for extra charge. We then drive across the Sinai Desert and the Suez Canal to your hotel in Cairo.

Day 6

Today is dedicated to Cairo’s Highlights: This means, of course, the
Pyramids of Giza, with the Great Sphinx, and the other famous sites in that area. In the Egyption Museum we will be able to take a look at some of the most known artifacts left for us to see from the ancient Pharaohs time. We will also take a short visit to Old Cairo, as well as a visit in a Papyrus Institute. Late afternoon transfer to Taba in Sinai / Eilat Israel for overnight

Day 7

we set out from Eilat, and drive along the Arava Valley towards the Dead Sea, where we stop for a short break. There is also a possibility to take a short dip in its unique and healthy water. Then we ascend to The Holy City, Jerusalem. We start with a panoramic view from The Mount of Olives – a suited site for an introduction to the city and its history. Then we visit the holy sites of the three monotheistic religions, represented in Jerusalem: We start with the Wailing Wall, which represents the last remnants of the Jewish Temple, destroyed by the Romans. Usually you can see the various types of Jews who come to worship at this holy place. If open to visitors, we ascend to the Temple Mount, where we can look at the famous Dome of the Rock. Then we continue through the Arab Market (“Suq”) to the “Via Dolorosa”, Jesus’ “Way of Suffering”, which leads us to The Church of the Holy Sepulcure, where according to the Christian tradition Jesus was crucified and buried. After lunch, we Drive to Bethlehem, the Birth town of Jesus Christ. Here we visit the Church of the Nativity, including the Grotto of the Mangery. This church is the oldest church in the world, which was never destroyed till this very day. Overnight in Jerusalem.

mportant remark: This visit can be cancelled without prior notice due to security regulations or other reasons which are not under our control. Responsibility in the Palestinian-controlled areas is solely on our Palestinian colleagues.

Day 8

Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for final departure

Please note, similar itineraries can start / end as well in Jordan or Egypt AP your flight itinerary.